StarCraft II patch 3.2 brings Nova Covert Ops standalone DLC

There was a time when a new bit of StarCraft single-player content would have me doing backflips through the street for weeks beforehand. Starting today they’ll be regular, and I’m hoping they’ll all creep up on me as this one has. Nova Covert Ops are missions focusing on the titular ghost and her adventures two years after the end of Legacy of the Void. It’s a different galaxy and, if this trailer is anything to go by, she’s in a spot of trouble.

There’s a few more tantalising glimpses of the plot here, beyond what we saw in the original trailer at Blizzcon, though nothing more of what the missions are actually like to play.

“Betrayal becomes vengeance” might be the most Blizzard tagline of all time. As with the rest of StarCraft, it’s exactly the sort of over-the-top sci-fi nonsense I’m in for.

As for what you’ll be doing, these first three maps titled Betryal – of an eventual nine, split across two further packs – are a mix of commando missions controlling just Nova, and more traditional StarCrafty bits with more units. You’re upgrading both her and your forces with too-OP-for-multiplayer upgrades, just like the various campaigns so far. Expect it to ramp up over time, with some sort of grand final battle before the end of the year.

Patch 3.2 meanwhile brings a host of bug fixes to the main game, along with some quality of life changes and balance bits aimed outside the usual hyper-competitive 1v1 arenas. The co-op missions have gotten some love, with a huge litany of tweaks and a new map based around the tug of war Dragonball-style laserbeam-fight in the Legacy of the Void campaign. Have a read of the full notes on Bnet.

Covert Ops also gives you the perfect excuse to jump in if SC2’s price always put you off. It’s totally standalone to the main game, operating with the SC2 Starter Edition that can be grabbed on Battle.net for free. £11.99 / $14.99 will get you all three packs, or just the first for £4.99 / $7.49. We’ll have some more in-depth thoughts just as soon as I’ve had a play.